TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Karo Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Martin Sitepu said that his office has evacuated 20 residents of Payung and Bakerah villages that are in the danger zone following Mount Sinabung eruptions this morning.
“The villages are shrouded in darkness caused by the volcanic ashes. We evacuated the residents to prevent victims of bigger eruptions,” said Martin. “No one has been killed [by the eruptions] yet, and we want to keep it that way.”
Read: Mt. Sinabung Erupts Nine Times in Two Days
Martin explained that the BPBD has deployed its personnel in several access regions affected by the eruption to hand out face masks.
The agency also urged the public to avoid the red zone and follow the instructions given by BPBD personnel.
Mount Sinabung is currently in level IV status following thick volcanic ash cloud eruption at 08:53 a.m. West Indonesia Time.
“Based on our observation, the height of Sinabung’s ash cloud reached 5,000 meters. This is considerably high,” said Armen Putra, the head of the Mount Sinabung Observation Station.
Read: Mount Sinabung Erupts 4 Times since Midnight
Armen said that the eruption’s sectoral trajectory headed to south and southeast at a height of 4,900 meters. Meanwhile, the ash cloud headed towards southeast and east at a height of 3,500 meters.
The Mount Sinabung Observation Station reported that Tiganderket village located near Mount Sinabung is currently covered by dark and thick ash clouds. Officials urge people to avoid areas within a 5-7-kilometer radius from Mount Sinabung.
SAHAT SIMATUPANG
